A Poor Defence

Published:PravdaNo. 96, August 21, 1912.

      Signed:W..

      Published according to thePravdatext.Source:Lenin
	  Collected Works,

      Progress Publishers,[1975],

      Moscow,Volume 18,

      pages288-289.Translated:Stepan ApresyanTranscription\Markup:R. CymbalaPublic Domain:Lenin Internet Archive

      (2004).You may freely copy, distribute,
	display and perform this work; as well as make derivative and
	commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
	Archive” as your source.•README

In“The Strike Movement and Wages”, an article published
inPravdaNo. 86 on

			      August 9,[1]we cited official statistical data on the average wages of Russian factory
workers in the first decade of the twentieth century.

Itappeared that by their famous strike movement in 1905 the workers
had raised their wages from 206 rubles (the annual average per worker) to
238 rubles, i.e., by 32 rubles, or 15.5 per cent.

Ourconclusion did not please the official newspaperRossiya. It devoted the leading article in its August 15 issue to
a detailed restatement of the data cited by us (withholding for some reason
the name of the newspaper from which it had borrowed the data), and tried
to refute our conclusions.

“Itis true, of course, that wages rose abruptly in 1908,” wroteRossiya. “But it is just as true that the prices of all
commodities and food rose simultaneously with them....” AndRossiyawent on to present its calculations, according to which
wages have risen by 20 per cent, while the cost of living has gone up by 24
per cent.Rossiya’scalculations are inaccurate in every
respect. In reality the rise in wages is not so large, while the rise in
the cost of living is more considerable.

Butwe shall not now correct the mistakes ofRossiya. Let us
take its figures.

“Theydo not at all suggest that, the workers have
   gained anything,” wroteRossiya. “Indeed, judging by their
   frequent complaints of hard times, one could rather draw the reverse
   conclusion, namely, that they have scarcely gained anything.”

“Theydo not at all suggest that, the workers have
   gained anything,” wroteRossiya. “Indeed, judging by their
   frequent complaints of hard times, one could rather draw the reverse
   conclusion, namely, that they have scarcely gained anything.”

Astrange way to reason, isn’t it? If wages have risen to a lesser
extent than prices of the prime necessities of life, it is necessary to
raise wages to astill greater extent! Surely this is obvious.

Buthow can the workers achieve a rise in wages without an economic
struggle and without strikes? HasRossiyaever seen capitalists
offer the workers a pay riseof their own accord, in view of the
rising prices of the prime necessities of life?

Rossiyaadmits that wages rose abruptly in 1908—thanks to a
widespread mass strike movement unprecedented in the world for
tenacity. But food prices began to climbbefore 1905. The price of
bread, for example, has never dropped in Russiasince 1903but has
only risen. The prices of live stock products have never dropped since 1901
but have only risen.

Itfollows that solely by their strike movement did the workers ensure
that wages,too, began to rise following the rise in the prices of
bread and other foodstuffs. Since the wage rise is inadequate, as is
admittedevenbyRossiya, it is necessary to raise wages
further.

[1]Seepp. 258–59 of this volume.—Ed.